Tane Upjohn-Beatson

Tane is not only a maestro composer but an extraordinary New Zealander, a person unfaltering in his dedication to his craft, a perfect collaborator and an individual that can achieve any result to the most outstanding level should he have the opportunity to undertake the task. Should it be for film, game design, theatre, concert or installation – whatever the medium – I have firm belief that Tane can deliver originality, beauty and dynamic connection through his music. ”

Sir Richard Taylor, Creative Director Weta Workshops NZ

Tane is an award winning New Zealand composer and sound designer, dedicated to crafting bespoke scores for film and interactive media. Comfortably dancing across the genre spectrum from lush symphony orchestra to grimy synthetic soundscapes (and discovering many an unexpected niche along the way), Tane’s work has been applauded for its seamless narrative fit and heart-in-your-mouth emotion.

In April 2015, Tane had the privilege of writing for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, to craft extensive experiential score and sound design for ‘Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War” – a cutting edge exhibition at Te Papa (NZ’s national museum), artistically directed by internationally renowned NZ cinema design and effects company Weta Workshop.

In July 2015 Tane received the national Best Original Score award in the Rialto 48Hours Furious Filmmaking competition, judged among others by New Zealand’s Sir Peter Jackson.

2014 saw successful international collaborations: With Chinese animation company Studio Climb, harnessing the brutal energy of traditional Chinese opera to craft a modern action score for short “Jing-Ling Master”; and with renowned film actress and children’s author Evangaline Lilly (Lost, The Hobbit), creating a lopsided cobwebby read along experience for spooky kids tale “The Squickerwonkers”.

His previous film scores have gathered critical acclaim, with shorts “Utu Pihikete” and “The Knight Train” touring festivals and gathering awards in 2014, “The Sleeping Plot” being awarded the Grand National prize in the 2013 New Zealand 48Hours filmmaking competition as well as Best Original Score in Wellington. In 2012 he received widespread attention for his work co-scoring and sound designing the runaway NZIFF feature success and international audience pleaser “How to meet Girls from a Distance”, as well as for his sweeping orchestral score to short “Broken Glass”.

His meticulously detailed theatrical works have received consistent critical acclaim, as well as receiving the prestigious Park Road Post Sound Designer Of The Year award in both 2013 and 2014.

Since the age of 12 Tane has been driven by a joint passion in music composition and filmmaking. Beginning in the classical world, this branched into rock, jazz and electronica groups, and electroacoustic soundscapes.

Today Tane pursues an understanding of music as an emotional language and sophisticated narrative tool; as essential to modern media and storytelling as it was in the days before language.